How to run a successful hackathon in 7 steps A Development Manager’s Guide

Hackathons, also known as hack days, really started to become popular in the 2000s. Hackathons are an event where Software Developers, for a defined period of time, work on topics of interest that may or may not be related to their regular work.

Hackathons can be internal, in which case only companies’ developers participate in the event, or they can be external with a focus on collaborating with others outside the business.

Hackathons defined

How to run a hackathon in 7 steps

Step 1: Pitch your hackathon and win buy-in

The first step is developing a pitch slide deck. While hackathons are very common in the software industry, there are still organizations that may

be reluctant to give up a day or so of their development team’s time. Anticipate who might resist the idea and address their concerns in your

pitch. Explain to them why this process is important to the business.

Step 2: Build excitement for your hackathon!

While getting buy-in is a crucial step, having excited participants is probably the second-most important step. If you declare a hack day but

your talented team is not into it, then the event and, obviously your initiative, fails.

Step 3: Build a backlog before your hackathon

You don’t want your team to lose time on the day of the event figuring out what they want to work on. Create a collaboration space/document (for example, a wiki page or Slack channel) at least one week before the

event and start collecting ideas. Write your ideas down to get people excited and also ask developers to contribute and add their own.

Step 4: Make your hackathon different and memorable

You want the day to be different than a normal day at work. This obviously depends on your context. But, for instance, if your organization provides free food everyday, well, free food is not special... In many cases, having a budget for pizza and snacks works and developers appreciate it.

Step 5: Book the date and start preparationsChoosing the right date is also crucial and the most important aspect is making sure people can take time from their regular work. While you have the approval, as per first step, you need to schedule it for a time

when everyone is not putting in 150% to finish a business changing release. You will never find the perfect time, but make sure at least it’s not

the worst possible time for everyone.

Step 6: Book a hackathon demo meeting

It’s celebration time! Invite senior management and everyone else in the product team to a Hackathon demo. As a manager, it’s your job to make sure key people are present and that the team has enough time to pitch

their idea and show off their work.

Step 7: Ship it!While having a day to work on the topic of their choosing is very exciting for

the developers, nothing motivates them as much as seeing their hacks materialize in the product. Keep in mind that if none of the hacks are

productized, developers may not be as motivated the next time around. If you have done a good job of assembling the hackathon backlog and facilitating the

ideation sessions, you will definitely end up with some hacks that are worth the productization effort.

Wrapping up the hackathon

As a development manager, one important aspect of your job is keeping people engaged, inspired and stoked. Hackathons are one of the many

ways you can achieve this goal. Giving developers autonomy and opportunity to master a new technology and infusing the business with fresh ideas are well within your grasp if you follow the seven practical

steps described here.

Read the full blog: How to run a successful hackathon in 7 steps

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